polobreaka

i picked up a 2nd hand bianchi pista that got sprayed flat black. i want to restore it to original look with the polish frame. which product is the most safe to use when stripping the paint? jasco or other paint stripper? i read up on oven cleaner like easyoff, does that only work for aluminum?

after the frame gets stripped to bare, if i want to keep it a raw look, how long do i have til the bare metal becomes rusty? i want to prevent it to from getting rusty. can it last for about an hour til i can spray the clear on before its consider contaminated?

if i polish the frame, do i still need to clear coat it?

thanks.

DaveSSS 

You mention aluminum, then mention rust. Rust is usually what the oxidation of steel is called, but not the oxidation of aluminum.

A strong caustic like oven cleaner should not be used on aluminum, but it's fine for steel.

A steel frame may rust, even if clearcoated. How fast aluminum corrodes depends on the alloy. 6061 will look good with far less attention than 7075.

Grand Bois

Easy off will remove anodyzing from aluminum. If you want to remove paint from aluminum or steel, you use paint stripper.

polobreaka

i dont know if you read my whole post, but i never mentioned my frame was aluminum, i asked if oven cleaner ONLY works on aluminum.
Thanks for the info on the steel rust even if clearcoated.

thanks. people had mentioned that oven cleaner will eat up paint, so it was confusing.

spot9

you might want to be more specific when you ask for help. it takes a lot of the guesswork out of formulating a reply.

polobreaka

did you even read the original post? how much more specific can i get? pretty much im just looking for answers to my questions, is it that hard? here, ill make it easier for you if you're having a hard time:

- picked up a frame used that got sprayed flat black
- i want to restore it back to original with a polished frame
- which paint stripper is safest of all out there to use?
- if the bike frame gets stripped to bare metal - how long do i have til it starts rusting?
- if i polish the frame, do i still need a clear coat on it?

tj90

I thought the original pista frame was chrome?

"- i want to restore it back to original with a polished frame"**********

That statement is throwing me off. Polished chrome is the desired finish?

polobreaka

ill have to do some researching on it, i always thought they were polished.

you are right, i want to get that finish.

EDIT: quick update, you are right, the pista did come in chrome. if underneath of the paint was prepped (sanded down), polishing it would bring back the mirror finish right?

Grand Bois

Absolutely not. You can't polish out scratches in chrome.

A polished steel frame will begin to rust immediately. Clearcoating bare polished steel will only slow the rusting.

Paint stripper will not harm chrome.

Anyone that would spraypaint a chrome frame flat black probably doesn't have enough sense to prep and prime the frame, so the paint will probably come off very easily.

tj90

Agreed!

Who would murder out chrome? Chemically strip the paint down to chrome. The best technique Ive found to make chrome look great is aluminum foil and coca-cola. Finish with chrome polish. The al foil is not harsh enough to scratch the chrome and the coke is slight etchant. Do not use abrasives like scotch-brite. It will destroy the finish.

I got a feeling that you DONT have a chrome pista under there. Painting chrome is tricky. plus why would anyone do it?

polobreaka

Good info guys. Thanks!

Exactly why u want to strip the paint off i can somehow restore to original. Only reason i assume i have chrome frame is because the fork is chrome.

So what can i do to remove light scratch or swirl marks in chrome?

ultraman6970

Maybe the frame is not chromed, the bianchi he is mentioning came in chromed and in other colors, like cream tan color, blue jean color and who knows what else but never in black. If the bike was over sprayed in black and was chromed under it i suspect the previous guy sanded the chroming somehow or did something to it because paint does not stick to chrome at least not for a long time. The surface needs to be prep 1st, then painted, this takes me to believe the bike was painted and then resprayed in black but that's easy to find out just peeling off the paint up to the bare metal.

I really doubt you will be able to get the finish you want if the bike is not chromed under it to start with, you can polish it big time with a polishing compound and it will get nice but doubt will get chromed, then u have to clear coat over it, the question is if the clear coat will stick to the polished metal long enough.

U can polish aluminum to mirror finish just in case.

polobreaka

it is a 2005 bianchi pista. i found the year stamped to the fork.

i will find out tomorrow when i strip the paint. my fork is chrome, so i assume the frame was probably chrome. after doing a quick search on the stock pista in that year, the fork matches the frame.

cyclist2000

That's a pretty bad assumption, there are many bikes with chrome forks that don't have chrome frames or completely chrome frames. Also Bianchi Pista came as a chrome frame or a painted frame (I can't remember if the fork was chrome on the painted models). If the bike came as a painted model that has chrome beneath the paint, the chrome isn't finished to a show quality and may be rough so paint can adhere to the surface better.

BCRider

From the sounds of it you're commited to stripping the black anyway. If you find unblemished chrome that wasn't sanded then you won the bike rebuild lottery. If it turns out that the painter did sand the chrome down to prep the bike for the rattle can finish then you're hooped. Nothing will save it or restore it short of repolishing and re-chroming. But you can run into a heap of oddball issues with chroming a bike frame. Folks will mention hydrogen embrittlement and I'm sure there's other issues that are involved if it isn't done right. So likely if the chrome is ruined your best bet would be to have the remaining chrome and underlaying nickel stripped by a plating shop and then just powder coat or paint the frame.

For VERY light scuffings in chrome a good chrome polish will reduce the damage. But it won't take out swirl marks from bad cleaning or from someone using sandpaper on the chrome. The actual chrome over the base nickel is extremely thin. For most handling it's enough to protect the shine but it's only got so much abrasion that it can resist. And the really bad scuffs and scratches will go through the flash of chrome and into the nickel.

polobreaka

wow thats a bummer. i will have to see for myself then.

spot9

yeah i read your post and i think you need to check your attitude at the door. You come in here asking for help on how to strip a frame but didnt specify if its a steel frame or an aluminum one.

DaveSSS 

Some people can're write a distinct question, like: I have a steel frame that needs paint stripping - what should I use?

The obvious answer would be any good quality paint stripper.

I thought the frame might be aluminum, knowing that steel is not suitable for polishing and clearcoating.

polobreaka

sorry, i thought it was obvious when i was talking about metal and rusting and assuming everyone knew what a bianchi pista was. ill be more specific next time.

polobreaka

so i stripped off the paint on the top tube. from what i can see, its been sanded down. it looks like a dull silver.

himespau 

bummer

ultraman6970

As i thought then, probably u still have some chrome in there so that could be a good news because u can polish that back again to mirror finish. I recomend you to find a good polishing wheel and good compound and do a test. Do this by hand will take zillions of years but it can be done.

tj90

Dont waste your time. Just buy a new to you one:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280565709196

polobreaka

yea i realize its not worth trying to restore the chrome. since its already sanded, im thinking of using a scrotch brite and just dull it more and get the scratch strokes even. would you guys think ill need to clear coat it? i kind of like this dull/matte look of the chrome.

himespau 

seems like you're going to have to worry about rust, but what do I know?